THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
by Zoicytes-Shadow
Summary: DUCK DODGERS. Mainly Queen and Mars centric. The disappearance of a department head does little to calm the Queen's mind, as she is experiencing troubles of her own...TyranniX2
1. Trouble

I have laryngitis. I sound like a hyena. Wonderful. Blame this on Garbage- #1 Crush.

No one but Shirley here belongs to me. Wow, I kept screwing up on 'belongs'. Well, the title was inspired by Garbage as well.

I know how to hurt  
I know how to heal  
I know what to show  
And what to conceal  
I know when to talk  
And I know when to touch  
No-one ever die from wanting to much

The world is not enough  
But it is such a perfect place to start...my love  
And if you're strong enough  
Together we can take the world apart...my love

People like us  
Know how to survive  
There's no point in living  
If you can't feel the life  
We know when to kiss  
And we know when to kill  
If we can't have it all  
Then nobody will

The world is not enough  
But it is such a perfect place to start...my love  
And if you're strong enough  
Together we can take the world apart...my love

(I...)I feel sick  
(I...)I feel scared  
(I...)I feel ready  
(I...)And yet unprepared

The world is not enough  
But it is such a perfect place to start...my love  
And if you're strong enough  
Together we can take the world apart...my love

The world is not enough X2

Garbage, The World is Not Enough

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

Chapter 1

Mars, Late night

Queens Chamber

Silence. The queen is asleep. A guard hovers by outside. Everything is still.

Then, a dark light centers quite suddenly around the mirror. It swirls on the crystalline surface for a moment, before taking the shape of the Queen. The mirror image sneers. "Wake up. Wake up now."

The Queen stirs, turning her head the other way, mumbling something unintelligible.

The mirror image frowns. It fades backwards.

Morning comes, and it meets the same thing it has for quite some time now. Except this morning, The Queen is still asleep, a look of frustration on her face, hair tangled violently about her. Outside the door, a centurion knocks. "My Queen?"

She wakes with a start, eyes flickering open at first wide and confused, then they gain semblance of memory. She groans as she sits up, rubbing the back of her head. "Yes?"

"Are you alright? You havent been down yet."

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just had a rough night."

"Very well." The centurion moves away.

The Queen blinks, and stands up. She casts a glance at the mirror. The silence is interrupted by a low whisper. Her eyes momentarily widen, and she shudders, tearing her gaze away from the mirror to pick up a comb.

She heads to the throne some five minutes later. Nothing is out of the ordinary today. Yet she still felt an inexplainable sense of dread. "Bring up the location of each of the commanders not currently on Mars."

She is not sure why, but she needs assurance. Instantly a centurion obeys, and a multitude of screen locations flash before her.

It was just a dream, she breathes lowly. A dream I cant even remember. There is no reason for such a feeling of terror. No reason at-

Her thoughts are interrupted as she views Commander X-2 deep in a heated argument over his monitor with Duck Dodgers. She smirks, and is tempted to listen in, but a call interrupts her. She views the screen, not recognizing the name. A full view comes up, and she blinks, startled.

"My Queen." A martian girl, almost as tall as her, bows low, revealing strands of purple hair behind a simple earth poets hat.

"Sh-Shirley?"

Shirley smirks. "Yes, correct again. Long time no see."

(A/N: I know they dont have mouths. But they must, you know. To kiss and stuff. So lets say they can see each other smirk and stuff.)

"Indeed." The Queen responds, shocked. She hadnt heard from this girl in years.

Shirley looks up, grey eyes waiting for an answer.

The Queen shakes herself out of her reverie. "Yes, Shirley? What do you have to report?"

Shirley sighs. "I'm afraid it's not good news. Do you remember the Head of the department for Study of Non-Planet entities?"  
"Yes.." She responds. She remembered him well. Not that he was very outstanding, but that he had a strange look every time someone spoke to him, and seemed to be listening to something no one else could hear. Of course, this annoyed some species.

If anything had happened to him, she could name a few civilians to point her on the right track...

"Yes, something happened." Shirley said. "But I dont believe that it was anything youre probably thinking of."

The Queen was taken aback for a moment. She had forgotten how Shirley could almost read her thoughts. Then she frowned slightly. "What do you mean, Shirley?"

The purple haired martian sighed, and flicked back a piece of unruly hair. The Queen could sense what was coming.

"Shirley..."

"But we were working in this big project, and..."

The Queen sighed, and her eyes narrowed, but not in frustration. Sometimes when Shirley decided something had happened the way she thought it had, all you could do was listen. A slight noise announced a call waiting, and The Queen was spared the task of listening. "Hang on Shirley. I have to take this call."

"But-"  
"I am a Queen, you know."

"I know, but-"

"Shirls..."

Shirley sighed. "Can you at least send someone to help me?"

The Queen thought about it, but only for a moment. They were old friends, after all.

"Okay, I'll send someone."

Shirley sighed in relief. "Thanks so much!"

Now, the Queen thought to herself as she switched calls, if only I can find someone who wont complain about being sent to the Non-Planet core...

"Greetings my Queen! I hope you are well!"

"Commander X-2!"

The commander hesitated. He had seen what looked remarkably like a giant smile.

"Uh, My Queen, I was just calling to tell you that my mission was a sucess, and-"

"Wonderful, Wonderful! I have a great new job for you."

"Oh! Well, of course, I-"

"Perfect! You'll be working with Shirley for a while, her boss has dissapeared."

"Dissapeared? Working with Shirley?" The Commanders eyes widened.  
"Yes, Yes, but that was an accident, and-"

"Wait...Shirley works in the Department for Study of Non-Planet entities!"

"Yes, she does."

"But if I go there-I'll be- Its- the whole department is a laughingstock!"

The Queen sighed. "Please?"

And looking into those eyes, the Commander knew he couldnt resist.


	2. At an Impasse

Disclaimer same as last time, nothing but Shirley is mine.

**THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH**

Chapter 2

"Hurry up, Marv!"

The Commander grabbed a spare rag and made his way to the window where Shirley was waiting. He balanced the rag between the two paint cans.

"I would prefer to be called by my title." He complained, setting down the paint. Shirley threw an old white gown at him.

"So would I." She retorted, hoisting a paint can onto the ladder.

"But," Marvin fumbled with the gown for a moment. "Your title is 'Esteemed but not as esteemed as the Head of the Department for the Study and capture of Non-Planet entities, said department's second in command."

Shirley grinned. "Yep. But thats not the point."

"I should think it was, if you felt the need to bring it up. I am NOT wearing this."

Shirley glanced down from the top of the ladder. "Oh yes you are! It's to protect you from paint spills."

"But it has lace and frills!"

Shirley made no answer, climbing down to get the second paint can.

"And why are we doing this again? For fun?"  
"Yep! Back in the old days earthlings actually used to do things manually, and with very little purpose. For fun, to be exact."

Marvin stuffed the gown over his armor. "_This_ was their idea of fun? Are you sure the Head of the Department didnt just sneak away because of you?"

Shirley laughed. "Looking good, _Commander._"

Marvin felt himself blush. "I suppose you have to find some way to occupy yourself without help from Centaurions."

He walked over and picked up a pallete of paint. "What do I do with this?"

Shirley studied him for a moment, before breaking up into laughter.

"What?" Marvin asked, confused.

"You- You only came here because you're crushing on the Queen!"

Marvin's eyes narrowed. "Never mind, I found out what to do with it."

He threw the blue paint all over Shirley.

She made a strange squeaking noise, before bumping the ladder, sending the red paint down all over him.

"Ha! You just admitted it!"

"I didn't say a thing!" Marvin countered, throwing the last of the red paint at her.

"Oh, now youre asking for it!" Shirley giggled. She threw a hand up into the air, getting even more paint on him.

But he wasnt worried about that. There were much bigger things to worry about. He remembered in a flash how the department had managed to catch most of their species for study-Shirley's mastery of telekinesis.

He squeaked as three paint cans hurled towards him ominously.

The Queen walked down the hall. Every so often, when it was silent enough, she thought she heard a voice.

For the first few times, she had called out, thinking someone was talking in another room. But the voice persisted.

She ran back to the control panel. Immediately the voice was drowned out by the buzzing of activity.

For a moment, she looked at the display screens, but couldn't concentrate.

She knew the voice was still there. It wanted her to go back out into the silence. She cast a longing look at the door, before yanking her eyes away forcefully. She could hold out now, but not forever.

Marvin sat in a puddle of paint, a deep murky brown from all the blending of colors. He looked down at his now-grey gown.

"So much this did for keeping the paint stains off." He sighed.

Shirley looked at him, immersed in her own pudlle, and burst out laughing again.

He looked up, half irritated, half amused.

A sudden image came up on the windshield. Two martians peered into the messy room.  
"Shirley? You in there?"

Shirley stood up. "Yeah. Hi guys. Whats up?"

Marvin stood up as well, hoping the audience wouldnt notice him. They did.

"Who's that, Shirl?" The girl asked.

"That is Commander X-2. The Queen persuaded him to come help me since the dissapearance of the Head of Department."

"Bet it didn't take much persuasion." The male said.

"Did you milk it for all it was worth?" The female grinned.

Marvin grew hot again, a sure sign that he was blushing.

"Just how many people know about that!"

"Calm down, Commander. It's actually a good thing you're here. Shirley will need your help on this one."

Marvin stepped out of the shower, and almost ran into Shirley, who was coming out of her own.

He looked up at her elegant figure partially hidden behind a towel, and quickly looked away.

Shirley ran a hand through her once again purple hair. "That felt good.."

"Wow. A female who showers quickly. It's a surprise, considering everything else on this ship is still stuck in the last century."

Shirley shrugged. "Well, it keeps out the ghosts."

"Ghosts!" Marvin was at full attention.

"Calm down, we only get honest to goodness ghosts every once in a while. I'm talking about the energy beings who inhabit computers and wipe the harddrives. Of course, we do get a few gremlins every once in a while..."

Shirley began to walk away. Marvin stared after her. He thought she was kidding about the gremlins, but it was hard to tell.

An hour later they had cleaned up the ship, and Marvin was quite thankful for the technology Shirley did have, which didn't force him to clean the floor manually, as he had at first thought. After getting clearance from the Queen, they were off.

Shirley was a bit distracted during the drive, and eventually turned to meet him face on.

"Did the Queen seem a bit...off...to you?"

Marvin thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, she did..."

Shirley frowned, but said nothing.

A few minutes later, she tossed a change of clothes at him, still brooding. He eyed them suspiciously after the last clothing item she had given him had turned out to be that horrid gown.  
"You have to blend in. As best you can. And we're going to need clearance."  
She flipped on a monitor screen. The Cadet's smiling face came into view.

"Ah, Sh-Sh-Shirley. How N-n-nice of you to have c-come."

Marvin paled. "Wait a minute! We're not gong where I think we're going!"

Shirley sighed, then grinned again. "Yes, Commander. Earth."


	3. Camp Happiness

Disclaimer: The same as the last two times. Oh, you want a recap? Only Shirley is mine.

Okay! I have reviews to respond to! Hahahahahaha! Ahem. Yes.

Looneyman: Oh yes, Chaos will happen. And more chaos, and-you get the picture. I know. Sigh. A DOD fanfic is SO hard to find. If you are on Deviantart, may I recommend Martiangirl14? She has fanpics and a very touching piece called, 'Like Trying To Touch A Star'. Actually, she was supposed to review this. Eventually. So, stay tuned, because we've got chaos!

A.J. The Namek Child: Wow. A long review. Where do I start? 0.o

Ahem. Well, lets see...No, this is going to be a MarvxWQueeny fic...err...eventually, so I can tell you that I know for sure Shirley and Marv are NOT becoming a couple. Thank you for your concern! I have no life either! Thats why I write these things! Except on Thursday, Friday nights and Saturday at five, when I watch Animal X, Duck Dodgers and Teen Titans, respectively. Apart from that I sit in my room thinking up fanfics and listening to Garbage. Their song inspired me on this one. The lead singer is Shirley Manson. Hee! I love that apron and any other pink frilly aprons! But, even though he's familiar with manual labor, he probably doesnt fancy cleaning paint spills off of the ship's floor for hours. And yes, I do believe he'd be a bit mortified to have someone actually watching him do it. And thanks for putting me on author alert! I hope this means you'll stay for the rest of the story?

How do you guys like Shirley? I'll be putting a picture of her on Deviantart soon. I'm Zoicytes-Shadow there too.

Is it okay with you if I give the Queen a name that's not er...Marshmallow in so many words? I like Tyranni, but that strikes me as a last name. What do you think? Anyway, on with the story.

**THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH**

Chapter 3

Marvin stepped away from the control panel. "Oh, no..."

"Oh, yes! I've agreed to help with a mission to capture a giant manlike creature in a camp. We'll be getting clearance passports from the cadet as soon as we board his ship and sign some documents."

"Go on Duck Dodger's ship."

"Yes. But, The Cadet has kindly taken the liberty of...removing him from the picture for a while."

The cadet smiled rather guiltily. "I l-left him at a c-c-club. I'm supposed to go b-back in a few hours a-and get him. But seeing as how h-he doesn't t-take too k-k-kindly to you guys, I t-thought it would be b-best if we left him out of t-this one."

Marvin sighed in relief. "Thank goodness I at least dont have to deal with that. It's hard enough dealing with Shirley."

Behind him, Shirley quickly withdrew the bunny ears she had placed over his head, and looked around innocently.

"Well? Are you ready? The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back to the Queen."

"The Queen's the only reason I'm doing this." Marvin mumbled as he stepped onto the teleportation pad.

"I know." Shirley smiled, walking after him.

The Queen threw open a cabinet, searching frantically for the right crystal vase of medicine. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes wide as she knocked several canisters out of the way. Seeing what she needed, she grabbed the container and headed to the elaborate bathroom. Three minutes later she emerged with an empty vase. "Perhaps I took too much.." She murmured. But at least it would keep the voice away. For now.

"Hi! I'm Timmy!"

"And I'm Tammy!"

"Welcome to Camp Happiness!"

Whatever Marvin had been expecting upon reaching the campsite, it had not been this. Two people, both in the same brown outfits, complete with hats and matching smiles, beamed at him. He had no idea what to say.

Shirley came to his rescue. "We came to apprehend the creature lurking around here."

For a moment, Timmy and Tammy's giant smiles faltered. Then they came back just as quickly.

"Okay! But later! Such icky stuff cant be talked about before we've even had our morning smile routine! Get into your uniforms, campers, and get ready for the bright sunshiny day!"

One of them tossed an outfit at her, the same as what they were wearing. Before Marvin could interject, he had another tossed at him. He looked up at Shirley, who shrugged.

"Just go along with it for now, I guess."

He eyed the outift with distaste.

By sundown Timmy and Tammy had suceeded in driving Marvin crazy. He removed the communicator the Cadet had given him in case of emergency, and pondered for a moment. He could simply call and tell Dodgers that he was in no way a willing participant of this crusade and wished to be back on Mars immediately. But that would dissapoint the Queen. He was sure he would not get punished for something so trivial, but the look in her eyes would be more than he could bear. He was jolted suddenly out of his musings by an obsidian hand with dark blue nails that slowly placed itself over the communicator. He looked up into the grey eyes of Shirley. "It's time." She whispered.

The sun was swiftly setting as he followed her out into the forest. She held a bag with an electric net wrapped up inside it, and several smoke bombs. He had thought this very odd things to bring on a creature hunt, but she had said earlier that they didnt want to hurt it, only capture it. She stopped in a clearing. "Set your laser to stun."

He quickly obeyed. "What is it? Did you see something?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Not yet."

He looked in the direction she was watching. An owl hooted in the distance. Soon, he would be done with his mission, and back to his own ship. He was even beginning to miss his slacker centurions. Shirley ran past him at incredible speed. He started, and realized the creature was a few yards in front of him, holding a struggling camper.

The small boy struggled and yelled in the massive creature's giant grip.

Marvin pointed his laser at the beast, but hesitated. He could hit the boy. The air around Shirley rippled as she flung herself at the creature, a wave of air hitting it squarely on the back. It stumbled backwards, and gave a deafening roar before dropping the frightened camper. The small boy ran off, terrified. Marvin aimed once more, but the best was now swinging its bulky form back and forth, hurling Shirley's thin frame through the air. She fell off, and hit a tree. Marvin winced at the crunch, but Shirley was up once more, sending stones at the creature with alarming pace. She bled thickly from a wound on her forehead. The smell of the blood enraged the beast. It came at her, swinging it's arms. Marvin prepared to fire. The creature stopped, and turned towards him, barreling at a pace too fast for its thick body. An arm swiped at him, sending a shocking blow into his head. He gasped, dropping his weapon in pain. "Hey you! Yeah! You! Peabrain! You started something, you have to come finish it!"

The beast lumbered towards her. Marvin stood up dizzily, just in time to see Shirley land a hi-kick on the creatures chest.  
It stumbled backwards, and with a deafening roar, caught her n its massive arms. She struggled, being strangled at arms length. Marvin aimed, and fired. The creature fell to the ground, knocked unconcious. He made his way over to Shirley's still form a bit painfully. She was alive, but as unconcious as the creature. He had no choice. He withdrew the emergency communicator.


	4. Dilemmas

Disclaimer: Read this line: Only Shirley is mine.

Whee! More reviews! You guys ROCK!

Looneyman: So happy youre still here! Thank you! Your wish is granted, Duck Dodgers is finally aware of the situation!

Martiangirl: I had a sneaking suspicion you were her! Im so happy you reviewed!

Soldier of Darkness: I'm sorry youre confused. What about? I'll help you if I can.

Vinnie the Geek: You reviewed almost all of my stories! I'm so happy! jumps up and down in violent happiness Thankyou!

Rock Raider: Wow, if I leave a story alone long enough, I get more reviews! Coool...Thanks so much for taking an interest in Shirley! Yes, I plan to make sure she lives at the moment. I'm so surprised everyone here actually enjoys DD like I do! Wow, thanks so much for your review!

Reviews are what I live for. And to cause Chaos. I believe I can make any pairing, as long as I've heard of the characters involved. Creepy...XD is coming up with more ways to make me lazy! I dont even have to come back here now except to post my stuff every once in a while now that they've added story alert. Wicked cool..So, enough with the rambling, enjoy the next chapter!

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

Chapter the fourth, I believe.

Shirley awoke to a pounding headache. She was facing the ceiling in her own ship. The Commander's face came into view.

"Oh good, you're awake."

She attempted to sit up. A slight diziness accompanied by a prick of pain greeted her. As well as the sight of Duck Dodgers. She groaned. "Why is he on my ship?"

The commander shrugged, rolling his eyes in evident annoyance. "Well, when you were knocked unconcious, I had no idea how to get back to the ship. So I called the Cadet. Dodgers had it all worked out in his mind that we were up to no good, and wouldn't leave until he had the chance to explore your ship."

"I take it that's what he's doing right now." Shirley stated, seeing Dodgers throw open her clothing compartments, scattering the outfits and custom suits on the floor in search of something that didn't exist. "Aha!" He called.

"Now what?" Shirley, The Commander, and The Cadet all said in an exasperated tone.

"What have we here?" Dodgers held up an old portable cd player.

"My cd player." Shirley answered tonelessly, narrowing her eyes in annoyance.

Dodgers looked deflated for a moment, before he unearthed a large pile of cds.

"Be careful with those! I spent a lot on them!" Shirley called. She telekinetically caught the first cd that spun by her head.

"No! Don't throw them!"

"Live? Nine Inch Nails? Bjork? Greenday? Garbage? Aha! Live nine inch nails in bjork are going to be made from garbage on this green-day!" Dodgers shouted triumphantly.

"You forgot Heart, Nightwish, and Evanescence." Shirley said.

Dodgers' smile faded. "Let's see, where do those fit in? Ah, forget it!" He threw the pile into the air. Shirley dove to catch it.

As she gently replaced them into their container, her shirt hit her in the face. She flung it off.

"Why do you have those things anyway?" Dodgers asked, peering into corners.

"To prevent wreckage from ghosts who attack machinery!" Shirley shouted, stalking towards him in a way that suggested she clearly meant to do a lot of damage. The ship's engine flickered and died. The inhabitants were plunged into total darkness. "Sp-Sp-Sp-Talk of the devil..." The cadet commented nervously.

Shirley's eyes widened. "You!" She began to walk in the direction Dodgers had last been in. "This is all your fault!"

A sudden roar made Shirley stop short. She felt the Cadet attach himself to her leg, Dodgers to her head, and the Commander was quite suddenly in her arms. Her eyes narrowed once more. "Get off."

"But we can't see!" Dodgers protested, slowly smothering her.

"And you think I can? Get off!"  
After a moment's hesitation, they slowly removed themselves from her. A shudder passed through her body. She walked over to a compartment, feeling along the walls as she went. A moment later she retrieved three green goggles. She slipped one on, and walked over to the group, tapping the Commander and the Cadet on the shoulder. They jumped.

"Ssh. It's me. Here. Nightvision. Old, but reliable."

They took the goggles, and the items expanded as they were put on. "Hey!" Dodgers complained loudly. "What about me?"  
She looked at him. "Sorry. Only have three. So how did the creature get out?" She asked, pushing Dodgers aside as he stumbled towards them, clearly intent on stealing a pair of someone else's goggles. The Commander sighed. "Dodgers had the brilliant idea of using the energy bars on the ship's hold to contain the creature. Obviously, they don't work apart from the main power."  
Shirley nodded. The Cadet gasped. "C-Captain!"

The two martians whirled in Dodger's direction. He was hit by the creature's massive fist and sent flying through the air. Shirley held her arms out and caught him in a reflex action. "Quickly! This way!" She shouted.

The Queen looked at the crackling screen in dismay. She had been trying to contact Shirley so long she had forgotten what she was going to say. She sighed. The ship's power must be down. They would be relatively safe, Shirley always prepared for this sort of thing. However her own safety, she was not sure of. She looked at the bandage on her arm. It had been an act without thought, and she hadn't even felt it. She shuddered. She needed someone. Anyone. And soon.

The three concious officers ducked behind the captain's chai by the control panel. Some twelve feet away, the creature shuffled, trying to find them. Dodgers began to stir. "What the-"  
That was all it needed. It began to barrel towards them at full speed. Shirley shut her eyes in anticipation of the pain that was sure to follow. It didn't come. She opened her eyes. The creature was struggling to escape from the pile of old furniture from the central room on top of it. Shirley blinked. "Well, what do you know. All that old furniture really did come in handy."

She took the time to rudely drop Dodgers and seek out their weapons. She found the Commander's laser gun first, lying on top of the control panel. She set it low, aimed, and fired. The creature's strugling ceased.

"That should leave it down for the count for a few good hours." She turned around. The Cadet, the Commander, and Dodgers were all staring at her. She blinked. "What?"

Three centurions hovered ten feet away from the control room door, exchanging what cold be concerned glances. The Queen had dismissed them, telling them not to come back until she told them to. Inside, she was curled into the fetus position on the floor. Tears made their way down her face. "I've gone insane." She whispered aloud to the empty room. "What am I going to do?"

"You're all alone. All alone." Her mirror image flickered onto the large screen in front of her.  
"Go away!" The Queen shrieked.

There was silence. Then, "No."  
The Queen began to sob uncontrollably.

"So alone." The image sneered.

"That's not true! It's not, It's NOT!" The Queen yelled, refusing to look at her duplicate.

"Uh...My Queen?" Shirley's voice asked,a bit unsure.

The Queen stiffened, eyes snapping open.

"The power's back up on my ship, and I saw you tried to contact us, several times actually..." Shirley trailed off. "Look, are you alright?"  
Slowly the Queen lifted herself up. Her eyes shone with tears, her hair a mess. "No. I'm not."  
Shirley moved away. Commander X-2's extremely worried face came into view in front of Duck Dodgers and The Cadet.

"My Queen! What's wrong?"  
"She's everywhere." The Queen sniffed, hooking her arms over her legs.  
"Who? Who is?"

"She's me."  
It was a whisper, but they all caught it. She looked up. "Tell me."

"Tell you what?" Commander X-2 asked, nearly frantic with worry.

"Tell me I'm not alone."  
"You're not!" The Commander protested. "You're not!"

The screen went blank.

"You're...not..."  
Shirley sighed deeply. "Poor Queenie.."

"T-the Martian Queen didn't l-l-look so good." The Cadet said concernedly.

Dodgers looked back and forth at all three of them. "Well, that was weird."  
"Yes...it was.." Shirley replied, frowning in concentration.

"How can she be alone? She's got a whole fleet of martians, and all those robot things." Dodgers asked, looking confused.

"That's not what she meant." Shirley said. "Commander! We need to go to Mars!"  
The Commander nodded, eyes still on the blank screen.

"Dodgers, I want you and The Cadet to be on the watch for a communication from us. We may need your help."  
"You think we have nothing better to do than to wait for some signal that may not even come so we can go help you martians?" Dodgers protested.

"No." Shirley answeres airily. "I know you have nothing better to do."  
Dodgers tried to come up with something to say. The Cadet ushered him towards the teleporter. "W-Will do, Sh-Shirley."  
Shirley granted them a small smile as they dissapeared. Then she was deadly serious.  
"To Mars."


	5. Reviews Answered

**Shirley-** Greetings Earthlings.

**Zoicyte**-But what if they're not?

**Shirley-** I think they are.

**Zoicyte- **Can you say, Invader Zim?

**Shirley-** Greetings everyone/thing! We shall be answering reviews, even though there are as of yet no questions or comments directed at us! If you like the following, say so in your review, and we'll continue this way! Reviews shall be answered by Zoicyte, The Queen, Commander X2, and myself. Continue on where no man has gone before!

**Zoicyte-** That's really enough now.

Kelso17  
2005-06-16  
ch 4, signed

Hey!Pretty good so far!Loved the part where Queenie went nuts.Little confusing at first..but dont worry,I got it!Be sure to look for my Duck Dodgers fic..I think youll enjoy it..

**Commander X2**- You LIKED that part? HOW!

**Shirley:** Well, it was dramatic. The public likes suspense. By the way, Kelso, thanks for the favorite author and stuff! I cant find your fic! Please tell me when you upload it. You can either review or email me.

Rock Raider  
2005-05-05  
ch 4, signed

For now? Does that imply you planning to have Shirley killed off? Oh please don't. Shirley's such a cool character. She deserves better than to be killed off. I would've thought SHE'D find somebody to love too.

**Shirley-**I want somebody to love! And I certainly hope I dont get killed off! That would really suck. Thanks! I am a cool character, arent I.

Looneyman  
2005-05-05  
ch 4, signed

Cool chapter. Very funny as well. Loved the chaos caused by Dodgers' arrival. You did a good job of doing this in typical Duck Dodgers style. Wonder what's happened tothe queen. Also loved Dodgers' reluctance tohelp the martians. You're doing good, keep on writing and finish another fab Duck Dodgers fanfic. On that subject hope you enjoyed mine.

**Commander X2-** Thanks, Looneyman! We loved your fic! It was very well written. You cant forget Dodger's stupidity in a DD fic! I'm glad you like it!

**Shirley-**Zoi plans to finish it, although it will probably be a long fic. This is the fic with the secondmost number of reviews! Go us!

vinnie the geek  
2005-05-04  
ch 4, signed

Still with you. I am dying to know what's going on with the Queen! By the way, good fight scene capturing the creature last chap! Well done. 2 Booyahs! Vin

**Commander X2**- So am I!

**Shirley-**nudges Queenie You have reviews to answer!**Martian Queen-**stops singing How Soon Is Now Um, right. I cant tell you. But I think you'll like what happens.

**Shirley**-And thank you for the compliment about the fight scene!

**Zoicyte-** It was awesome to write, if a little bit hard. But I'm gonna have to get used to that for upcoming chapters.

**Commander X2-** Does everyone know what happens except me!

Rock Raider  
2005-04-26  
ch 3, signed

Oh boy. I hope Shirley lives through this. Though I also hope the Commander & Tyrra (the queen) get together. & Maybe Shirley will find somebody for herself as well. After all, she's a nice martian, even if she is... way out there.

**Queen-** I hope we do too, although it's entirely Zoi's choice. As she is a fangirl of mine, I don't think it will be much of a problem.

**Shirley-** Thank you! I am way out there, arent I. Maybe I will find somebody. Drop your suggestions by!

vinnie the geek  
2005-04-21  
ch 1, signed

Sorry I can't say anything witty or amusing-yet. But since this is only setting up the story, we'll see. So far, so good! Booyah! Vin

**Shirley:** Not much I can say about this but, Thanks! And a double thanks for sticking around! I'd offer you something, but nobody seems to like what I own. Heh.

Soldier of Darkness  
2005-03-29  
ch 3, signed

I have to admit, I'm a little confused, but I'm sure everything will come into light in later chapters, ne? ()

**Queen:** The offer still stands, Soldier of Darkness, We will try to enlighten you if you tell us what confuses you.

Looneyman  
2005-03-28  
ch 3, signed

Glad the cadet was able to keep Dodgers away while Marvin popped by for a visit, but it'll be hard to stop them running into each other though. I can't wait to see the chaos.

**Shirley:** There will be more! We reunite with them soon!

**Commander X2- **I knew it! I'm the only one who doesnt know!

**Queen- **The reviewers don't either.

**Commander X2-** But it's not fair!

**Shirley-** It is funny though.

Martiangirl  
2005-03-27  
ch 3, signed Hey, this was another great chapter! By the way, I Martiangirl (no 14 at the end), did review. I am she! Sorry I have two names. I really should change it. Nice to hear! Don't worry, "Marshmallow" is no longer hers. Tyrani is her offical name (pronounced Teer'Ran'Ay) Of course, if you don't like that, you can call her something else.

**Shirley-** looks around for Queenie Hey, Martian Queen! You have reviews to answer!

**Queen-** _See I've already waited too long, and all my hope is gone_... Oh, right, reviews. Well. Thank goodness for that. Not only named after a food, but a poofy soft one, at that. I much prefer Tyrani. If only they would change it on the credits now, I really deserve a name.

**Shirley:** Wana tell her your first name in this story, and the others to follow?

**Commander X2-** There's going to be more?

**Shirley-** Oh yeah. Tons, if anybody wants to read them.

**Commander X2-** About?

**Shirley-** Alternate story arcs. Alternate endings, and behind the scenes. The rest is a secret.

**Queen: **As is my first name around here for awhile. You'll find out soon enough.

Martiangirl  
2005-03-24  
ch 2, signed

Pretty cool so far! Anxious to see where this is going. Shirley and Marv aren't going to fall in love or anything, right?  
This is just a friendly note.You see, I have no life, so I research the show. Marvin is actually pretty familiar manual labor, since he apparently has, and uses, a mop, broom, and scrub brush stored in the closet of his ship and is used to being ditched by the Centurions when it's cleaning time (Marv picks up mop "Looks like it's just you and me again, old friend"). Plus, if you go by the pink frilled apron he was wearing at the time, he has little problem wearing frills (unless you're saying, he's objecting 'cause someone's actually going to see him ) Nice work so far! Keep it up!

Shirley and Commander look at each other

**Shirley- **Uh, no. Definitely not. He's all yours, Queenie.

**Queen-** re-reads chapterHm, I can see where she might have gotten that opinion, but put your mind at ease, from the very beginning Zoicyte stated that I would end up with him.

**Zoi-** How can I resist a character not widely used correctly with white hair? She can have anything she wants!

**Shirley-** It would be at least a little bit embarrasing for Marv to have someone he doesnt know, and a girl as well, to see him in an outfit like that, but I really dont care, apart from the fact that it's really funny.

Looneyman  
2005-03-24  
ch 2, signed Finally, another Duck Dodgers FanFic. We need moreof these. I can see CommanderX-2 and Shirley running into Duck Dodgers when they reach Earth. Chances are chaos will erupt when they meet.

**Shirley- **This whole fic is going to be chaos after chaos. Yes, we do need more of these fics.

**Queen-** Not to mention more episodes, and information on me. I'm not even fully formed background-wise.

**Shirley-** The rest of her is fine.

**Shirley-** Thanks you guys! We love reviews! Keep 'em coming, and tell us whether you like this style of answering them!

**Queen-** And to enhance your experience, listen to any number of songs that have been stated during the chapters, because Zoicyte has been, and it's very likely you will enjoy the reading more.

**Commander X2-** reading from card No Martians were harmed in the making of this fic...They werent? Really? Why didnt anyone tell me this before! I've been worrying about the insane authoress making us continue, and nobody told me about this!

**Shirley-** It was pretty obvious. Look at Queenie. She's absolutely fine, if obsessed by alternative rock.

Queenie- _The world is not enough_...Huh?

**Shirley-**Besides, Zoicyte is one of the least crazy authoresses out there. Sure she has her obsessions,she's a fangirl, likes certain pairings, and occasionally indulges in OOC, but she's really not that bad.

**Commander X2- **SHE TAKES DRUGS!

**Queen-** OOC is a term for Out Of Character, a character acting contrary to their beliefs, backgrounds, or personality.

**Commander X2-**Oh.

**Queen-** I agree. Any fic I'm used correctly in is fine by me.

**Shirley-** So thank you once again, and tune in next time! There will be one! Especially now that it's summer.

**Queen-** I believe she shall update more quickly now, since she likes to stay inside on sunny days, and has to on rainy days. It depends on the inspiration.

**Shirley- **Till next time!


	6. Arms Race

The inspiration is back! I don't know if I'll keep the plot exactly the same as I had envisioned it in the beginning, but...

So, unless anyone has any ideas for Shirley's love interest, I may have to go with the original plans on that as well...

So sorry for all the caffienated spelling errors of earlier chapters.

This one might be crappier than the last chapters. Sorry. ;;

Still only own Shirley, and not entirely either.

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

This Ain't a Scene It's An Arms Race

The ride to Mars was eerily silent, both Marvin and Shirley caught up in their own thoughts.

Upon reaching Mars, they both fled the ship, running towards the palace. Shirley's long legs got her there faster, and she prepared to attack any rogue centurions, or anything else that got in her way. Instead, she was so suprised by what greeted them that she stopped long enough to allow Marvin to catch up.

The centurions were bowing. "Greetings, The Queen is expecting you. You are guests of honor."

"Um, What?" Marvin managed.

"Please, proceed to the dressing rooms and ready yourselves for the meal."

Shirley shook her head, bewildered, and allowed the Centurions to show her to her room.  
Two of them flanked Marvin.

"What's going on here?"  
"Nothing is going on. We are only having a special meal in celebration of your achievement."

Marvin gaped at them.

Before he could say anythingmore, the centurions used the moment to guide him to his room.

Still uncomprehending, he staggered inside, glancing around.

An outfit was laid on the bed, complete with...

"Oh, not that hat. Everyone hates that hat."

--

Some time later Shirley knocked at his door impatiently.

"Come on, we have to get to our celebration."  
Marvin opened it a slight bit. "You don't actually believe everything is fine, do you?"  
"No, but the sooner we get to see the Queen, the sooner we'll know what happened."

"True."

"Come on out then."

Grudgingly, he left the room.

"What's with the hat?"

"I don't want to talk about the hat."

--

"Welcome! Please sit down and enjoy your meal."

"We responded to a call for help Your Highness."

"Merely a technicality, what we are concerned with now is celebrating your flawless response to duty."

Shirley glanced at Marvin before folding her dress under her and sitting down. The blue shifted and turned darker with her countours.

Marvin had no such trouble with his formal outfit. He stared at the Queen upon sitting.

Shirley seemed to be doing the same thing as he was, however she was also eating, unlike himself and The Queen.

Minutes passed in uncomfortable silence.

Marvin knew that this was not his Queen, not the one whom he had fallen in love with.

But despite his inner knowledge he had no proof.

The ominous silence seemed to be building up when a small ring from under the table caught his attention.

Unfortunately, the Queen's eyes also tuned in the sound's direction.

Shirley stood up, and walked over to the Queen despite the Centurion's protests.

They stared each other down for a moment, then the puple haired martian whispered something.

The Queen merely blinked.

Shirley turned her gaze to Marvin. "Run."

He didn't need to be told twice.

They took off, shouldering past confused centurions. Shirley drew out her communicator, only to have it shot away by a centurion.

Marvin drew his out. The Cadet's face flickered into view.

"No questions, just tell me where you are."

"A-actually, D-Dodgers insisted we sh-sh-sh-come here. It was s-s-s-very quiet, we manage to g-get all the way up to the palace."

Marvin checked the verification tracker, and slammed the communicator shut. "This way!"

Shirley followed him down a side corridor, and hardly stopped when they broke bodily through the window and plummeted down.

Dodger's ship collided with them. Marvin slid down the windshield as Shirley scrambled to keep a hold on the mettalic surface.

The centurions fired out the broken window.

Shirley lost her hold, grabbing Marvin on her way down.

"What are you doing?.!"  
She shook her head. They continued falling even as they dissapeared and landed in Dodger's ship.

"Oomph!"  
"Ugh!"  
"Give me the controls!"  
"No, we have to get to the-"

"Get off!"  
"Weaponry room-"  
"Weapons?"  
"Gett OFF, and-"  
"It's my ship!"  
"C-captain, maybe-"

A lazer shot into the roof.

Everyone froze.

Marvin put away his gun, glaring at the chaos.

Shirley took the opportunity to steer them away.

"What are you two doing?.!"

"I told you, we have to get to the weaponry room, and then to Earth."

"Now wait a minute-"

"Shut up you Chinese Cuisine!"  
Dodgers, taken aback, did as he was told.

The ship stopped, and Shirley lowered the bridge. "I'm going to get us supplies. X-2, you stay here and keep him from going anywhere."

She dashed out, turning down the corridor.

"Wow, what a forceful woman."

-

There were no codes on the weaponry room, only a species exclusive lock. Martians alone could get in, and that was exactly what Shirley did.

Looking around, she grabbed anything that seemed like it could be helpful.

Turning, she took a breath to calm down, and lost it when the centurions moved into the doorway.

-

"Why did you guys land on me?" Dodgers asked huffily.

"I don't think she can quite control teleportation that specifically."

"..What?"

"Never mind."

-

Shirley blinked, shifted her grip on the weapons, pointed behind the centurions and screamed.

Of course, they all whirled around.

And she ran past them, weapons in tow.

-

"When is she getting back? I wanna get off of this planet."

"What's wrong with our planet?"  
"You guys are crazy!"  
"Excuse me?"  
"SHUT THE DOOR!"  
"..What?"  
Shirley raced past, dumped her load on the floor and slammed the button to close the door.

The centurions fired at it, narrowly missing the Cadet.

Dodgers slammed the ship into full power, heading away from Mars as fast as it could.

Shirley slumped down, gasping for air.

"Are you alright?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I hope you know what some of these things do, because I don't."

"How am I going to convince I. Q. to let you two hang out on Earth? You don't even have a plan."

Marvin blinked. that was as close to an agreement to them as Dodgers would get.

Shirley didn't notice, not having spent enough time around Dodgers as he had.

"Our plan? Figure out how to get rid of the fake Queen and get the real one back."

"H-How do you kn-know sh-sh-she's f-fake?"

Before Shirley could respond, Marvin did. "It's a feeling. I know it."  
"Feelings, Shmeelings. I think she just doesn't like you anymore and you won't admit it!"  
Normally the remark wouldn't have phased him, but in the already stressed situation, he dove at Dodgers.

"X-2! He's just an idiot!"  
"Captain, you sh-shouldnt have s-s-said t-that!"

The Cadet raced to take over the ship's controls, leaving the taller martian to pry X-2 and Dodgers off of each other.

"Stop it!"  
"I'll kill him! He has no idea-"  
"I know, we have to tell him!"

Shirley managed to grab Dodgers, holding him out of X-2's reach.

The duck stuck his tongue out at Marvin.

Shirley smacked him.

"Hey, that hurt!"   
"I'm definitely not taking your side. Remember the transmission with the Queen? She had a bandage on her arm. She didn't when we got there."

"So? She could have used some healing thing."  
"Maybe, but I also said something the real Queen would have known, and she didn't even notice."  
"What did you say?" Marvin asked. He had been curious about that.

Shirley moved her gaze to him.

"Her name."


End file.
